HOUND: The Bullet Chain
by TheLivingPortal
Summary: In a post-WW3 world, the country of Nation developed a innovative defense program: the H.O.U.N.Ds. Based in the remains of the U.S, H.O.U.N.Ds are commanded by Masters, and combat members of C.A.T and UNLEASHED. Both H.O.U.N.Ds, Dean and his comrade Emily must delve into the twisted experiments of Nation after they are both betrayed by their own Master. 2nd original, please review.


Chapter 1: The Master's Dogs

_Date: 13MAR2020_

_Congratulations. You are all officially HOUNDs (Human Overtly Unique National Defenders)._

_You have completed the rigorous year-long training course. You are fit to defeat any enemy, defend any place, and win any battle._

_You are the elite. The top dogs._

_Soon, you recruits will be assigned to a Master. He/she will guide you, lead you. Your objective is to protect him/her, at all costs, and to do what they tell you. You, in turn, will learn from them._

_With your training, you are able to do these basic requirements:_

· _Thrive in the wilderness_

· _Aim with 50% accuracy with any weapon_

· _Pilot any vehicle_

· _Use stealth to evade or kill the enemy_

· _Have training in advanced tactics_

· _Be proficient in fighting styles_

_These skills shall be essential to you goal in defending and carrying out your M.A.S.T.E.R._

_Remember always: seize the day!_

* * *

It was the early morning, at 0600.

No cloud, no rain, and a gentle breeze. It seemed that it would be a perfect day.

Just my kind of morning.

_Bzzst! _"Roger that!"

"All right, you know the procedure! We've been given a mission with these objectives: Eliminate all enemies. Leave no survivors behind." shouted the team leader.

"Yes, captain!" faithfully shouted the mercenaries. They were all HOUNDs.

"2nd Lieutenant Dean Connors! I have a mission for you!"

"Yes, captain!" I shouted.

I nodded. Dean was my name. Age 18, 6 feet tall, with wild black hair. My keen blue eyes looked around. Like everyone else, I had muscles and the training to judo-flip anyone without a second thought.

"I need you to scout the area beyond. You're the most able here to react and kill by sight." my captain said. "Gather intel on numbers and resources."

I grabbed the grip of my customized M16, decked out with a scope and a laser sight. With plenty of high capacity magazines and my custom invention, I was confident this would be easy. Besides, my knife was within easy reach.

Stealthily walking away, I scanned the area.

* * *

_Ping! Ping! Ping! Ping!_

_Handful of hostiles, _I quickly judged. I was hiding behind a flipped over gas tanker.

The street was only surrounded by hills and makeshift defenses.

I pivoted over to shoot a hostile. With my M16, I aimed carefully at him.

_Ratatat!_

The hostile shook from the force of the bullets and fell down dead.

Scanning around, there were 5 more hostiles left. There was no cover between my hiding place and their barricades. I had to find a shield.

The answer was in front of me.

Picking up the dead body, I used it as a makeshift cover. It smelled, but I've had worse, with cobbled up shields made of strips of cardboard and sticks.

Bullets pounded the corpse, threatening to pierce dead flesh.

I responded in kind with a roar and a spray of bullets.

_Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!_

_Click, click._

_Shit, I'm out of ammo, _I thought.

Swiftly I removed my empty magazine and placed in a huge leg pocket. As part of my innovative reload process, I used my own invention: the WMBB (Weapon Magazine Black Box).

Custom built to my specifications, I had, as advertised, a black box that filled with one thing: magazines of bullets. Once I released my empty one, I just had to slam my M16 into the black box, where a fresh magazine was waiting, jutting out of the box. It meant less effort, and more fighting ability.

The schematics were complicated, but it worked on the same principle as a magazine: a spring, aided by gravity, would push a fresh magazine down once I loaded one into my gun. As for the black box part, I found it to be practically indestructible.

Quickly smashing my M16 into the WMBB, I heard the familiar "click!" of my magazine properly linking with my gun.

Pivoting on my left foot, I turned around.

And my adrenaline spiked.

Almost slowly, on high ground, a sniper raised his rifle. He was well protected by the landscape and bushes.

If he shot, he wouldn't miss.

A loud "Crack!" cut through the air. I expected to fall dead.

The sniper dropped his sniper rifle and crumbled into the earth.

From what I could see, someone saved my life, with a perfect shot.

Right in the middle of the forehead.

I smiled. There was only one person I knew that could make that shot.

"Emily! Why'd you steal my kill!?" I said. "You might have saved my life, but that's not an excuse to shoot first!"

A female voice floated out from the bushes to my left. "At least you're alive to be talking, idiot." Emily grumbled. "Me and my Barrett are best buddies, just to let you know."

"Just come with me. I've got all the intel." I said, smiling.

Definitely an interesting start to my day.

That was news enough.

* * *

"Sir, there's 30 hostiles, all armed." I rattled off. "They're all in a well-secured ancient bunker."

"2nd Lieutenant Emily Grimmens! What's your report?"

"There's a good indication that they've stockpiled weapons and supplies, sir." she said. "There was also news of a potential ambush tonight."

"Both of us think that there might be a weakness to this bunker." I added in. "There's no outdoor lights on it. In the night they're basically blind. Using that, we can surprise them."

The captain put down his head, sorting out tactics to pull off the surprise mission.

"Get to it, HOUNDs." he growled.

"Yes, sir!"

* * *

_Ratatat!_

_Thud! Thud!_

_Thunk!_

"Move out!" I shouted. I was pinned down by gunfire.

Quickly, I ripped out a grenade from my belt and chucked it behind me.

_Boom!_

The gunfire stopped.

Emily rolled next to me. "There's still more above those stairs. We've got to clear 'em out." she said, obviously worried.

"Get a body and pull out your SMG." I advised. "The body will work like a shield. It'll stink, but I'd rather not use another grenade."

Emily nodded as she heaved a dead body up. I did the same, taking a body with a particularly potent smell.

We both advanced to the stairwell, the bullets once again threating to pierce through rigid flesh.

Our guns flashed in angry response, mowing down man after man.

In a moment it was all over. Limp bodies littered the upper floor.

"Jeez, that's a horrible job. Damn bloody bodies." Emily grumbled.

I nodded. It was the second time I had to smell a guy who _didn't_ use deodorant today.

* * *

"Report, 2nd Lieutenant Dean and Emily." tersely said my Master. "And call me Jason."

"We've massacred the rebels in Sector 10b, sir." I said. "Lost 3 fellow H.O.U. . The rebels were defending a stockpile of weapons and supplies."

"I see. What were the weapons?"

"They were stolen military grade weapons, and they're extremely customized." rattled off Emily to the right of me. "We've managed to take back all of them."

"Good. At ease." satisfactory said the Master.

We both relaxed. I'd have the day off, I guess.

Leaving the barracks, I engaged in conversation with Emily. Age 17, with blonde hair that was like a mane and a slim 5' 8" frame. Her green eyes frowned at me.

"How come you didn't notice that sniper?" she asked.

"I saw him, but his rifle was up and aimed at my head. Mine wasn't." I protested. "Besides, I did all the hard work."

"Doesn't excuse you when I have to save your ass, Dean." she retorted.

"Doesn't excuse you from not sniping more people, Emily." I said.

We both walked both the doorway, back to our bunk beds.

I sat down, looking at a book about my world.

Our country was simply called Nation. Boring enough, but the way it was created was definitely worthwhile.

In 2015, countries all over the world started WW3. Another Great War, with seemingly endless airstrikes and nuclear warfare.

By the start of 2019, every country was in scrambles. One by one, governments were thrown down, and others took their place.

The reason we lost was the lack of professional soldiers. Thus, what was left of the U.S. started the H.O.U.N.D project.

Standing for Human Overt Unique National Defender, we were humans trained in the skills of warfare and survival. The program took a year, and one had to be at least 16 to join.

I was one of the first to become an H.O.U.N.D. From my rookie years, I was quickly recognized as living death. It allowed me to get promoted quickly, from Private to 2nd Lieutenant.

We had 3 objectives: protect yourself, protect your Master, and protect the sectors of Nation.

Nation is what used to be the U.S. mainland. We lost Alaska to Russia, and Hawaii to radiation. It was divided into 10 sectors, and each sector had a representative. These people worked with the Leader to create civilian laws. A precise part a sector was given a letter: a, b, c, d, or e. Each letter represented a cardinal direction: a=north, b=east, c=south, d=west, and e=origin. By combining letters, such as, for example, Sector 9ab, we HOUNDs could easily pinpoint where trouble occurred in a sector. It was quick, easy, and brutally efficient.

That was how we had an advantage over the members of C.A.T (Coalition of Agent Termination), or as we called them, "rebels".

There was also an official terrorist group known as UNLEASHED. Though few in number, we stayed well away from any member. They are, as the world says it, "the most advanced group that ever existed.". UNLEASHED was well known for one thing: the development of custom weapons far ahead of its time. True stories circulating about them included actual Tesla weapons, and some claimed they wielded lightsabers. As if Star Wars wasn't enough.

This day was enough for me. Nearly killed by a guy who didn't know what deodorant was and saved by a girl I had a little crush on.

All I wanted to do was sleep.

Fate didn't play out that way.

"GET UP YOU LAZY BUMS! NEW ORDERS: ELIMINATE THE HOUNDS OF MASTER DAVID!" shouted the captain. "DIRECT ORDER FROM OUR MASTER!"


End file.
